Chapter 2: Birthday

Bella POV:

Oh no, today I'm officially 18 years old, I thought to myself while waking up. In all honesty, I´ve dreaded this day since I began dating Edward. Over the last six months, I´ve noticed there are a lot of perks about dating a vampire, but him not ageing isn't one of them. He stays 17 for eternity. Meanwhile, I'm only getting older. Of course, you won't see a difference between us yet, but I´m afraid of what will happen five years from now.

There is no point in postponing the inevitable, so I jumped out of my way too comfortable bed and hopped into the shower. As I let the warm water relax my tense muscles, I grab my shampoo bottle and start washing my hair. Once the strawberry sweet scent filled my nostrils, I chuckled a little bit. The first time my boyfriend Edward and I had to sit next to each other in Biology, he turned away from me, as if he were disgusted with my smell. I was a little bit mad since I love the scent of my shampoo. Little did I know, it wasn´t the smell of my hair he hated. He hated my blood, the second he could sniff it. It was a sweet temptation, and he needed to fight the urge to not kill me in that classroom. Thinking back to it, it might have scared me off, if it weren't for how irrevocably fascinated I was. Maybe he wasn't the weird one after all.

After my shower, I've decided to dress up a little bit. After all, it was still my birthday and I wanted to dress to impress. I looked out of my window to see how the weather will turn out. It's literally always cloudy and rainy here in Forks, where I live with my father Charlie. I absolutely hated it, since I was used to the sunny climate of Phoenix where I lived with my mother Renee. Because she got remarried, I´ve decided to go live with my father again, here in Forks. I would have never expected Forks to be the place where I would fall in love with the most handsome person I had ever seen. Jokes on me, when I found out he wasn't even a person either, but a vampire. I learned vampires sparkle in the sunlight, which is the reason why Edward and his family are located in one of the gloomiest climates on the planet.

Today was no exception to the rule. It was a cloudy and grey day, with a constant drizzle. I put on a pair of dark blue tights with a dark blue dress. I brushed my hair and put it in a high ponytail, so it would not blow in my face all the time. Looking at the few make-up items I have in my collection, thanks to the few shopping trips I took with Alice, Edward´s sister, I decided to brush my brows, put on a coat of mascara and pair it with a coat of bright red lipstick. If I had to do it, I might as well excel at it. Unfortunately for me, shoes had to be comfortable and practical around here, so I put on a pair of sturdy boots. Looking at the mirror, I was quite happy with the person who was looking back at me.

I quickly rushed downstairs. My father immediately came and greeted me. He gave me my presents, and I faked being happy with them. I was never quite fond of my birthday but this one, in particular, was my least favourite. Charlie couldn't know Edward was a vampire who didn't age, so I pretended to be as happy as possible for his sake. After all, he wouldn't want his daughter to be sad on her birthday, now would he?

After saying my goodbyes to Charlie, I headed towards Forks highschool. Upon arriving, I saw Edward standing in the parking lot, next to his expensive silver Volvo. Seeing him caught me off guard a little bit. Even after dating him for over six months, I was still amazed that this beautiful creature belonged to me. I smiled to myself for being so lucky and hopped out of my car. I did not see her immediately, since I was so focused on Edward, but his sister Alice was standing right next to him. She wasn't his biological sister of course. Everyone here thought they were the adopted children of doctor Carlisle Cullen and his wife Esme. What they didn't know was the fact that everyone in the Cullen household were vampires.

I rushed towards them. Alice´s eyes lit up, and I noticed she was carrying a small birthday present in her hands. I immediately felt guilty, because I've told them I didn't want to celebrate my birthday. I should have known they´ve wanted to celebrate, given they could not celebrate a real birthday themselves. I put on a smile as I stood before them.

´Happy birthday Bella!´

´Shh Alice,´ I said, as I turned around to see if someone might have heard her. ´I don't want people to know, please.´

Alice smiled at me before she continued to whisper: ´So, do you want to open your presents now or later?´

I've wanted to pinch myself a little bit for how harsh I was towards her.

´I´m sorry, Alice,´ I said. ´It's just that… I'm 18 now. Which means I'm older than you guys. And you know I don't like being the centre of attention.´

Luckily, Alice wasn't even a little bit offended by my small outburst.

´So you really don't have to give me any presents,´ I continued. ´But, if you really have to, I would prefer to receive them later at your place,´ I added with a shy smile.

I should have known she already knew what presents I received this morning. Alice could see the future, which sometimes came in handy. Other times, it reminded me a lot that there was a difference between ´me´ and ´them´. Like it did right now.

´I really like it, actually,´ I answered. ´I thought it was a very thoughtful gift.´

I really did think it was a nice gift. I might not always see eye to eye with Charlie, but I knew he meant well.

Alice was pleased with my answer. We turned around and I forgot all about my silly problems. There stood Edward, my Edward. I gave him the brightest smile I could ever give and reached out to his hand. As always, his skin felt rock hard, smooth and ice cold compared to the warmth of my own skin. He must have felt my heart flutter in my chest, as he ran his fingertips to the edges of my lips. He returned my smile, and I wished we could stay like this forever.

However, he had to ruin the moment.

´So, as discussed, I am not allowed to wish you a happy birthday, is that correct?´ he asked.

If I would have dated a human, I would have gently and playfully slapped him on his arm. Unfortunately for me, doing that to a vampire would have only hurt me in the process. Instead, I gave him a dirty look while I answered and tried to mimic his tone; ´Yes. That is correct.´

´I was just checking,´ he said. ´You might have changed your mind. Most people seem to enjoy things like birthdays and gifts.´

´While I certainly enjoy getting gifts, I just don't like birthdays,´ I explained while winking. ´In all seriousness, I have never liked the feeling of getting older and I have never liked my birthday that much. I don't know why, but it bothers me. And now it bothers me a lot more since you´re 17 and I´m 18.´ I sighed.

Edward and Alice gave each other a look I could not quite understand. Eventually, Alice said; ´We will make sure you'll enjoy it this time. Everyone will be nice to you today. What's the worst what could happen?´

What we didn't know yet was that on my eighteenth birthday, the worst did happen. It was the last time all three of us could stand in that parking lot, talking about silly things. If I had known beforehand, I would have made sure we didn't talk about my birthday. Instead, I would have told them how much they meant to me. How happy I was. How lucky I felt. How they made me feel loved and how much I loved them. Instead of that, I was acting like a whiny brat.

´Anyways Bella, Edward will pick you up at 5. So you can do a little bit of homework before you´re headed to our place,´ Alice continued. ´I see you´ve already dressed up, so I can´t wait for you to see what we've planned for you,´ she said with an enthusiastic smile on her face.

I was giving her a look of pure terror. Was she out of her mind? What did she do? I was giving Edwards angry looks, in the hope he would help me out. Instead, that little vamp chuckled upon seeing my face and sided with Alice. Who´s side was he on?

´Alice is right, you look absolutely stunning,´ he said. It did not make me feel any better, and even if it did I would not show it. ´You're gorgeous in blue, and it has been ages since we've celebrated a birthday. Please just do it for us,´ he continued. Alice nodded in agreement.

´Fine,´ I said. ´But no funny businesses!´ I demanded as I pointed my finger at both of them. I didn't like the looks they were giving each other. I didn't like that at all. Much to my amusement, the bell rang at that moment and we needed to get to class. I was happy we could let this argument slide and could go on with the rest of the day as if nothing special was happening.

Edward and I were together in almost all of our classes. Last year, we only had biology together so this was way better. Much to Charlie's approval, my grades are significantly improved compared to last year. Edward is not only a sight for sore eyes, but because he didn't require any sleep he could study as much as he wanted. He's also extremely fast, not just in running but also in reading. And he's over a hundred years old so he knows the material by heart. To-may-to. To-mah-to. He's the best tutor I could have ever wished for.

Nothing significantly happened that day. It was the last normal day I had with Edward Cullen, and I would not want to change it for the world. The last bell rang, meaning the school was over. Edward and I walked to my car while holding hands. It seemed that Edward wanted to drive me, as he opened the passenger door for me. But the thing is; I really love driving that old thing, so I just stood there and ignored his gesture.

´It´s my birthday, Edward. Meaning I would like to drive,´ I said.

´Playing the birthday card, I see,´ he gently smiled at me while getting into the passenger seat himself. ´How convenient.´

´Only if it's working,´ I jokingly said. I turned the car around and started driving towards my home. Next to me, Edward was turning on the radio while complaining about its lousy reception.

And look; you don't come for my car. You can come for me any day of the week, but you don't come for my car. My car is amazing. It's literally the best car in the world. Edward is used to beautiful, new and expensive cars and he is allowed to. But my car has character. It's old, it's sturdy. It´s great.

´If you want a nice stereo, you can drive your own car,´ I snapped. Edward had to hold his laugh since he wasn't used to me taking offence that quickly. He should´ve known better; no one is allowed to bash my car like that.

I parked my car in front of my house. Right now was one of the best moments of my day. Sitting in a car with Edward, inside our own private bubble, was simply exquisite. Edward scooted closer to me and took my face between his hands. He gently touched the sides of my face with his fingers. That simple gesture alone sent shivers down my spine. I don't know how he did it, but even after all these months his touch still amazed me and left my breathing unsteady.

´You should be in a good mood, especially today,´ he whispered while breathing on my face. His scent was intoxicating. It could not be compared to anything I had ever smelled; it was simply too good to be compared to anything ´normal´.

´I´m always in a good mood when I'm around you,´ I answered half-serious, half-jokingly. He seemed to like that answer, as he leaned in slowly and pressed his lips on mine. I immediately felt my heart respond to his touch. He always kissed me gently. I knew why; he didn't want to hurt me because he was way stronger than me. Still, I sometimes wish he would kiss me a little bit rougher. I wrapped my arms around him and tried to deepen the kiss. He sensed it and smiled down at me as he removed my arms around him. This gave my heart a little break to slow down a bit.

´Be good, please,´ he said in a husky tone. But the thing is; I didn't want to be good, I thought to myself. I want to be bad. Meanwhile, Edward noted my heart was beating a little bit more normal, so he gave me soft kisses while still maintaining some kind of space between us.

´Do you think I´ll ever get better at this?´ I asked him. ´I mean, you should think I would be immune to you at this point in our relationship, right?´

The look on his face was way too smug for my liking. ´I sure hope not,´ he answered. ´I love you way too much for exactly the way you are right now.´

Oh, be still my beating heart. Please. You give me away far too easily.

A/N: Next chapter will be Edward's POV!